Bulletin Daily Paper 12-22-12

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ServingCentral Oregonsince1903 75| t

SATURDAY December22, 2012

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Basketball

LOCAL• 82

SPORTS• C1

bendbulletin.com TODAY'S READERBOARD Pot culturo —washington and Colorado may beblazing the path on alegal framework for marijuana, but recreational

pot use is already mainstream in much of California.A5

• Fearing restrictive legislation, gun enthusiasts stock up By Rachael Rees

Jersey Shore — After Hur-

The Bulletin

ricane Sandy causedmassive damage, NewJersey races to rebuild before tourist season

Local gun shops are slammed with customers fearing new legislation could keep them from owning certain types of semi-automatic weapons like AR-15s. "We have literally sold out of everything AR," said Larry Myers, co-owner of DBA Redmond Black Rifle, also known as Colfax Tactical, on Southwest

arrives.A7

Badger Avenue in Redmond. "We saw a rush in2008, ofcourse, when (President Barack Obama) went into office, but it was nothing like this." On the first day of the new Congress, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., intends to introduce legislation "stopping the sale, transfer, importation and manufacturing of assault weapons as well as large ammunition magazines,

strips and drums that hold more than 10 rounds,"according to herwebsit e. With politicians and lobbyists pushing for a new assault weapons ban similar to the ban that expired in 2004, and limits on high-capacity magazines, firearm enthusiasts want to make sure they

are prepared. Hundreds of people have come into the store this week, Myers said. And each day, he said he's had more than 80 phone calls for orders and inquiries. SeeGun sales/A8

Wave of infections linked to meningitis By Denise Grady New Yorh Times News Service

YPSILANTI, Mich. — Dr. David Vanderberg admitted three patients to St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor hospital Tuesday and called a fourth with news that left her in tears: She

had a large abscess deep inside her back, near her spine, and would need sur-

Pine Theater —Fiveyears

gery as soon as possible.

after its reopening, Prineville's

The patients were part of a second, growing wave of serious infections from the same tainted drug that caused a nationwide meningitis outbreak. The drug, contaminated with a fungus, was injected near the spine to treat chronic back or neck pain. This public health disaster, in its third month, is far from over. Meningitis seems to have waned, but spinal infections near the in]ection site are on the rise. They can be dangerous and hard to detect. At least 200 have occurred, and more are expected because nearly 14,000 people had injections from tainted lots of the drug. SeeInfection/A6

PineTheaterhasbecome more than just a movie theater — it's a hub for the community.D1

And a Web exclusivePart two of a two-part series on the Chicago River: Creating a man-made continental divide

in Chicago would becostly and complex. denddulletin.com/extras See part one onA4.

EDITOR'5CHOICE

Obama pushesfor

n

n

last-ditch

fiscal deal By Lisa Mascaro and Christi Parsons Tribune Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — With the sudden collapse of House Speaker John Boehner's Plan B to avert most year-end tax increases, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders face a daunting choice: compromise in the few days remaining before tax hikes and spending cuts kick in, or call it quits and soar off the fiscal cliff. Obama appeared in the White House briefing room late Friday to urge congressional leaders to at least prevent income tax hikes on household income of less than $250,000, continue longterm unemployment benefits and delay the mandatory spending cuts set to

begin in January. "Call me a hopeless optimist, but I actually still think we can get it done," Obama said before leaving with his family to spend Christmas in Hawaii. The president's plea was a retreat from the much broader deal he had sought during private talks with Boehner, which fell apart this week as the Ohio Republican pursued a separate course. By suggesting last-ditch action on priorities that are most important to Democrats, Obama is not likely to attract an enthusiastic GOP

response. Obama talked with Boehner by telephone before he spoke, and met at the White House with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. — a trusted partner who could help craft a deal in the Senate. SeeFiscal /A6

Photos by Ryan Brennecke iThe Bulletin

Andrew Walters, owner of Oregon Detective Agency, fills out paperwork to renew his concealed weapons permit Friday at the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office. Local officials say they've seen an increase in the permits recently. Having sold out of AR models, g a personal AR-15, right, is displayed at Redmond Black Rifle on Friday.

By Michael Hawthorne Chicago Tribune

Lawmakers focus onmental healtb By Andrew Clevenger The Bulletin

WASHINGTON — Even as it mourns the victims of last week's

shooting rampage at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., including 20 children, the nation remains deeply divided on how to prevent another mass shooting. In the aftermath of the shooting, more than 197,000 people signed a petition on the White House's "We the People" website, calling on President Barack Obama to promote gun control legislation. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., announced plans to introduce legislation banning assault

weapons and largecapacity magazines on the first day of the new

Congress. SeeGun control /A8

TODAY'S WEATHER Snow High39 LOW22 o~o oooo©o o page B6

Toxic flame retardant may get a reprieve

Gun controldialoguerenewed The horrific shooting in Newtown, Conn., has spurred anewpush to reduce gun violence. Here are somekey issues in the national dialogue on gun control: ISSUE

DEFINITION

ANALYSIS

Assault weapons

Legal definitions havevaried. Assault weapons can befully automatic or semi-automatic, depending onwhois doing the defining.

Congress bannedassaultweaponsfrom 1994 to 2004, but there were manyloopholes. Sen. DianneFeinstein, aCalifornia Democrat, has said she plans to introduce new legislation in early 2013.

Fttiiy

Any gun that fires continuously when L ikely to get the most scrutiny by Congress. Evenhunters say the trigger is held. there is little practical use for them.

automatic

Semiautomatic

l oads automatically but fires only once A likely focus of Congress. Police sayConnecticut shooter each time the shooter squeezesthe Adam Lanza did much of his damagewith a semi-automatic trigger. rifle.

Highcapacity magazines

They allow a shooter to fire several bullets in just seconds.

Prohibited under assault weaponsbanof1994-2004. A likely focus of debate will be limiting the number of bullets per magazine.

Gun-show regulatory gap

Allows private dealers at gunshowsto sell without doing background checks on buyers.

W hite Housespokesman Jay Carney says President BarackObamawould support legislation to close the loophole.

AP

Sources Princeton Election Consortium, University oi PennsylvaniaHealth Systems, Bureau ofAlcohol. Tobaccoand Firearms

COming MOnday: In Salem, lawmakers wade into the debate over stricter gun control laws. InSide:All schools should have armedsecurity guards, head of the National Rifle Association says. A2

4 P We userecycled newsprint

INDEX Busines s/Stocks C7-8 Comics/Puzzles E3-4 DearAbby D6 Obituaries Calendar B3 CommuniiyLife Df-6 Horoscope D6 Sports Classified E 1 - 6Crosswords E4 l o cal & StateB1-6 TV/Movies

CHICAGO — For a class of troublesome flame retardants, this appeared to be the end of an era. Afteryears ofstudy, scientists in the U.S. and Europe had reached an alarming conclusion: Flame retardants called polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, build up in blood and breast milk, interfere with natural hormones,trigger reproductive problems and cause developmental and neurological damage. Under pressure from federaland state regulators, the leading makers of the chemicals stopped making two PBDEs in 2005 and vowed to shut down production of another by the end of next year. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also began pushing rules that would make it practically impossible to sell imported and recycled products made with the flame retardants. The rules are supported not only by health advocates and environmental groups but also by the three major manufacturers of PBDEs. But after promoting the rules as a significant achievement, the EPA has delayed making them final amid fierce opposition from influential industries. SeeRetardant/A6

AnIndependent

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